Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Mod7
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Chapter 3 - Intimacy
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It felt strange. Perhaps it was because my first experience had been a chaotic orgy with the mermaids?
Being intimate with just one person felt more erotic.
Arachne’s hot breath against my skin, her hands exploring my body, slowly moving downwards.
“How do I avoid making eggs…”
I wasn't in control. I simply surrendered to her touch, her breath, the smooth, soft feel of her skin against mine.
“извращенец (Pervert).”
Arachne uttered a word I had never heard before. I didn't understand its meaning, but her teasing smile and flushed cheeks spoke volumes.
We kissed. It felt incredibly strange.
With the mermaids, it had felt like my last experience,
But now, I was offering myself to another being.
It felt different. A different kind of pleasure, a different kind of ecstasy, unlike anything I had felt with the mermaids.
“You know, playing with a male… isn’t so bad.”
She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. Our faces were inches apart, our breaths mingling, and then-
We kissed, neither of us initiating, simply surrendering to the moment.
It wasn't like a human kiss. Arachne’s mouth was voracious, her tongue and lips practically devouring mine.
My mind, my senses, were consumed by her touch, her heat.
One of the most important lessons I had learned on this planet was that the union of male and female was far more intense and visceral than I had ever imagined.
It wasn't like the descriptions in books. It wasn't just a physical act, but a merging, a fusion of two beings.
“My other sisters just play with the males Mother brings back. They just collect the sperm and make cocoons, as Mother wishes. But…”
Arachne released my tongue and whispered sweetly.
“You’re mine. Understand? I won’t even share you with Mother.”
Our lower bodies were already yearning for each other.
I felt her slick wetness, the dripping fluids coating my hardened erection.
As I entered her, the pleasurable folds of her sex enveloped me. The hot, pulsing tightness welcomed me.
“…Does Mother feel like this too?”
We weren't in love.
Or were we? I honestly didn't know.
I had always scoffed at Dan’s sentimental ramblings about love…
But now, as I prepared to mate with Arachne,
I couldn't help but wonder about the nature of love, its meaning.
She seemed to be thinking about it too.
A flicker of anxiety, or perhaps uncertainty, crossed Arachne’s face.
Or was it apprehension?
Was she afraid of following in her mother’s footsteps, despite her earlier disapproval?
“Mmm…”
We were both lost in thought,
But we pushed aside our doubts, surrendering to the pleasure of the moment.
In this moment,
Everything about our partner felt magnificent, beautiful.
It consumed us, leaving no room for other thoughts.
No anxieties, no worries,
No curiosity,
Only the slick sweat and the shared gasps of pleasure.
The claws that had threatened me now tickled my skin,
And the venomous fangs caressed my tongue.
***
I didn’t know how many hours we spent entangled.
We ravished each other, shared gentle kisses, then returned to our animalistic coupling…
“Juho.”
Finally, the cycle broke. Arachne carefully released me from the webbing and laid me down. She lay beside me.
“You’re really good.”
Her beautiful face, glowing with a newfound radiance, held a satisfied smile.
It wasn't a bright, blossoming smile like Aria’s. Arachne’s smile was subtle, a slight upturn of her lips, her eyes smoldering.
“You’re an interesting male. Hmm…”
Her half-closed eyes traced the lines of my face. While she relaxed, I lay beside her, catching my breath, staring at the webbed ceiling.
I hadn't even moved much, but I felt exhausted. My thighs and neck ached. I had exerted myself more than I realized.
“Are all of your kind like this?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Hmm, you don’t know?”
“I-I don’t know…?”
“I’m just teasing. You can speak freely when we’re alone. I’ll forgive you.”
She was playful. She rested her arm on my chest, her body close to mine, as if preparing for another round.
“I like you, Juho. Let’s stay together.”
Arachne’s finger traced the bridge of my nose. Even this small gesture was filled with a sensual energy.
“From now on, use that head of yours for me. I’m not like my other sisters or Mother. I’ll take care of you.”
But there was a disconnect in our conversation.
Arachne stroked her lower abdomen as she spoke,
And I couldn't understand what she meant.
“I’ll create a new kingdom, in my sisters’ honor. It might take a while, since I’m alone, but I can do it.”
Perhaps she equated sex with pregnancy?
“You’re my partner now. Not just a male, but my partner.”
“What…?”
No,
Perhaps it was a far greater misunderstanding.
“What? Didn’t think I’d agree, did you?”
She spoke as if she were granting me a great favor. Anyone listening would think I had proposed to her.
“So, where’s my thank you?”
“Huh?”
Wait…
Had my request not to make eggs,
Been interpreted as a proposal?
And she,
Having accepted my proposal, had granted me access to her womb…
Was that it?
I honestly didn't know much about marriage.
While I had known couples who were in love and had children, I had never found the concept particularly appealing.
Marriage was a contract, a form of confinement,
A promise, a commitment.
“Where’s my thank you?”
But I didn't have much of a choice, did I?
Arachne’s expression hardened, her eyes turning cold.
“Juho, don’t tell me you’re changing your mind-”
“Th-thank you!”
And then,
As soon as the words left my lips, her anger dissipated, replaced by a soft smile.
“Of course.”
Perhaps this was a good thing. Throughout human history, marriage had often been a way to forge alliances, to combine forces.
“I feel so much better now. I know how to honor my deceased sisters.”
Arachne, who had been consumed by grief and despair,
Seemed to have found a new purpose, a renewed sense of determination.
“I’ll inherit their dream and create a new kingdom. It might take a while, since I’m alone, but I can do it.”
Perhaps she was my first true ally. While the mermaids had been friendly, they had ultimately intended to keep me captive…
But,
Would Arachne be different?
Would she be more open-minded?
“…”
Probably not.
This was dangerous. I had escaped the mermaids to leave this planet, not to help establish a new spider kingdom.
Arachne, oblivious to my thoughts, smiled, her eyes filled with dreams of the future. Her soft fingers gently caressed my skin.
“Let’s go see Father.”
She wrapped me in her webbing again. But this time, she placed me on her back.
“Mother should be asleep by now.”
Our relationship had definitely improved. Perhaps too quickly. There was no such thing as romance here, only mating and possession.
But it was fine. I could use this situation to my advantage.
“…Okay.”
Escaping this damp, suffocating spider kingdom was my priority.
I had to use everything at my disposal.
I could leverage my relationship with Arachne to search for survivors or gather supplies.
***
The spiders’ forest, shrouded in darkness, felt like a different world at night.
A cold, unsettling wind rustled through the trees.
Arachne effortlessly navigated the lightless forest. After a while, my eyes adjusted, and I could make out faint shapes in the darkness.
We headed straight for the Ancestral Tree.
“…I didn’t expect this.”
But there was a problem.
“They really have a lot of unresolved issues, don’t they?”
In the distance,
I saw a small fire and agitated movements.
New lessons were being carved into [his] legless body.
Sizzle-
The sickening smell of burning flesh filled the air. A silent scream echoed through the forest.
The Spider Queen held a torch to [his] severed legs. The webbing that bound his arms and torso twitched with his struggles.
“You should endure the pain, shouldn’t you?”
She stared at him, her expression impassive.
“This isn’t enough to make you see reason. Is it?”